Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad (B), Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], Côte dIvoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-bissau, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, Uganda.
Vagrant to Gambia.
Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, southern Mali and Ivory Coast east to Togo, Benin, northern and eastern Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, southern Sudan, north-eastern DRCongo and north-western Uganda.
 
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Grey-headed Oliveback (Nesocharis capistrata) [XC99223]
by id from Mankon Sacred Forest, Mankon, Cameroon (call)
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Recent studies of mitochondrial genes suggest that this species is closer to Estrilda than to current congeners. Perhaps merits placement in separate genus, for which the name Delacourella is available.